I hate to say it, but the fasting ain't over til...

In the late Middle English sometime between 1150 and 1500 AD, a word was coined. That word was breakfast. Prior to breakfast the term used was morning meal. It was made by joining two words – break and fast. In essence, it was the meal that broke the fast from the meal of the prior day. Some call that meal dinner. Some call it supper.

Breaking from a long-term fast like 21 days should be done gently. If you were doing a full fledge Daniel’s fast, do NOT go and get yourself a Whopper with cheese, a Sweep-the-Kitchen Johnny’s Pizza or a Caniac. Your stomach will not appreciate it. Slowly add back the things you want to add into your diet. Leave out the bad stuff you just shed. Why add something bad back to your body if you’ve just been detoxed from it? It’s better for you to leave it out.

Now some of you may not have lasted the 21 days. You do what God has called you to do. If He leads you to 14 days, then do 14 days. If he leads you to go 7 more days, then be obedient and do 7 more days. The fast is over when God says it’s over.

Fasting is something we as Christians should do regularly. Maybe not the 21 day Daniel’s fast, but some sort of fast. Maybe you fast 3 hours a week, and during that time you pray, meditate, worship and read Scripture. Maybe you fast one day a week. It’s a discipline and a lifestyle, a relationship enhancer.

Why did you fast? Did you fast because your friends were doing it? Did you fast because it’s what you do every January? Did you fast to lose weight? What was the purpose of your fast? 

Did your fast make you physically weak? Did you find yourself craving “real food?” Did you find yourself being energized at some point? Did you see God’s hand move? Did God answer any prayers whether the way you wanted or not? Who did you pray for while you were on your fast? Did they see results of your fasting and praying for them?

What did you get out of fasting? Is it something you would do again?

These are all important questions, and if you journal, take time to answer them. Document what happened during your fast. The Hebrews used to stack stones in places where God provided or did something miraculous, and they would tell their children and grandchildren the story every time they passed the stones as a reminder. Journaling is a way to stack your stones. Lest you forget.

It’s my sincerest prayer that your walk with your Lord, Savior and the Spirit was renewed, strengthened, and enriched, and I hope it becomes part of your walk with Christ. Feel free to share what you learned during your fast in the comments below. Thank you.

My Word - Be Careful

Have you heard anyone say, “My word for the year is…”?

I’d like to explain about the word of the year because you really need to be careful if you are going to participate.

When I started fasting for 21 days in January every year, I noticed when I would read my Bible, meditate on Scripture, hear my pastor preach, pray and worship there would be a common thread unlike any other time during the year. I analyze data as part of my job, and when I start seeing a trend in data, I stop and investigate. This theme was no exception. My investigation skills from my job kicked in, and I began studying whatever God was showing me.

I would take this theme and research it. I spent time during the fast digging into the Scripture regarding this thought or theme, and each time it could be summed up with one word. God would reveal this word outside of His word. One time I was on a trip in another state, and this word was on a sign. One year without telling anyone what the Lord was speaking to my heart, different individuals came up and talked to me about the word He had laid on my heart.

Choosing a word should not be of your doing. If it is a word you have selected because of your desire or because it sounds good, then you will be disappointed because it won’t mean anything in your relationship with God. It’s like looking for signs of God leading you, and you’re taking everything as a sign from God. That will lead you all kind of weird places and not where He was leading at all. You cannot force the Spirit to do your will. The fast is to learn God’s will and conform to it.

One year, He gave me two words, hope and revive. Never before has He done that. For two years in a row, He gave my mom the same word. We teased her saying she must not have learned what He had wanted to teach her, so she had to repeat. Of course that’s not true because words can have multiple meanings.

I will also tell you that you may not like the word He gives you. Words like persevere, patience, be still, and courage are difficult words to live. What are you going to do with that? You asked Him to speak to you. You asked Him for a word, and when He gives you a word you can’t just ignore it because you don’t like it and want a different one. That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works.

Expect the word He provides to stretch you, grow you and take you outside your comfort zone because it’s only outside our comfort zone that we grow. It’s not always pretty, but the results are amazing.

By claiming a word, you are telling people you have spent time with God. You are telling people to hold you accountable. This year, I’ll only be telling my accountability partner the word God provides, if He provides one.

That’s the other thing. What if God chooses not to provide a word for you? Does that mean you don’t have a strong relationship with Him? Absolutely not. It just means He has something different in store for you. God does not have to provide a word just because you ask for it. This isn’t a gimmick. You can’t conjure the Holy Spirit into giving you a word, so you fit in. If you receive a word, it’s between you and God and an accountability partner. It’s personal. It’s intimate, and if the Spirit chooses not to give you a word then seek Him, find out what He wants you to learn. He will show you. He’s good like that.

I hope this clears up any misconceptions about “My word for the year is…”. It’s not something to go at all willy-nilly. It’s serious. It requires a lot of time with your Father, you Savior and the Spirit. I hope you will invest in your relationship with Him. You won’t be sorry. I promise.